The Lawyer and The Bus Ride

Sunday, September 6, 2015

We met for breakfast at 8AM, went through the buffet and proceeded to the outdoor seating area of the restaurant. There we saw it … the rose garden. Very nice! During breakfast, Chan got up the gumption to ask about the Jackie O Ristorante. We learned that a famous American used to come to the US Embassy and eat there - Jackie Onassis. Why didn’t we think of that!!

The plan for the day was to travel to Assisi (of St. Francis fame) to tour the old medieval city and check out some of the stuff related to St. Francis (from whom our current Pope took his name). Our driver, Lorenzo picked us up at 9:15 – right on time. Now, for what follows, please keep in mind that Lorenzo does not speak much English.

We piled in the Mercedes van – five of us getting into the two bench seats in the back and long-legged Tim requesting to sit in the front seat. We had just started around the block and Tim was noticeably fidgety in the front seat. As we talked, Tim finally asked Lorenzo to pull, and those of us in the back seats started to get involved in what was happening. Tim was saying that his seat was wet (apparently Depends isn’t as reliable as one would have thought) and Lorenzo was offering to put his seat back further. This confusing dialogue – Lorenzo offering to turn down the air-conditioning, Tim saying “Stop”; Lorenzo offering Tim water, Tim saying in Spanish “My seat is wet;” Lorenzo saying there is no rain today, Tim saying “Pull over” – continued for a little while with those of us in the back seat laughing hysterically as Tim squirmed in the front seat. Finally, when we stopped at a light, Tim started to open the door and Lorenzo was having a heart attack telling and motioning Tim to stay in the van. When Lorenzo pulled over, Tim jumped out of the front seat fanning the back of his shorts. When Lorenzo finally understood, he apologized and Tim piled in the back seat with us. Of course, we all gave him a hard time and laughed for the next 10 miles at Tim’s expense.

Now, you might think this story is over, but half way to Assisi, we pulled over for a bathroom break. By the time Steve got to the restroom, Tim was standing backwards under the hand dryer letting the air go down his pants. That was quite a sight !!

It was a very nice day in Assisi, albeit too short. The weather was fantastic. We visited the Basilicas of St. Clare and St. Francis, as well as their respective tombs under their respective churches. I should note that just before going into the Basilica of St. Francis (which, by the way, is territory of the Vatican), Tim needed to make a pit stop. Our guide noted that he would need 50 cents to use the public toilets, but none of us had change. As Tim was bouncing nervously around, Chris came up with a full 1 euro coin, which Tim took and raced to the bathroom.

We returned to Rome and took our own walking tour of the Spanish steps, bought gelato (the best deal in all of Rome), and wandered the streets. It was VERY busy on Sunday night and there were many street performers of all types. There was one beautiful basilica/church after another on Via del Corso. This goes to show that the aphorism, “When in Rome, never pass up a basilica or church without looking in” is very true. We were never disappointed.

We were advised to go to dinner at Gabriello’s on Via Vittoria. We walked up and down the 150 yard street with people repeatedly telling us, “It’s just down the street.” Finally, another restaurant manager walked us to the door of Gabriello’s only to read a sign on the door that said it was closed for repairs. We ended up with dinner at Don Chischiotte (Don Quixote), which was off the beaten path. RECOMMENDATION: eating at restaurants off the beaten path is considerably cheaper and quite often better food.

We walked about 1 mile to get back to our hotel where we retired after a little recapping of the day.